Hung, Drawn & Quartered
by Screaming Faeries
Summary: Written for Flying Lessons: Barty and Regulus enjoyed a fairly normal education at Hogwarts, and nothing surprisingly out of the ordinary happened. Until their seventh year, when a Saturday spent in the library churns out a shocking event: a mysterious blonde girl has appeared behind the bookshelves. Regulus/Luna/Barty (triad) M rated for profanity mainly.
1. Parma Violets

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #1: All relationships have to start somewhere, they don't just appear out of thin air! We need to make sure that we cover the beginning of the relationship before moving on to other aspects. We need to consider the beginning aspect and make sure that things work. Like with a broom on the first flying lessons, there are potential problems and this should be mentioned or considered. Your pairing might seem perfect but trust me, they're not. / Prompt used: (object) a Quill

\- The 2016 Monthly Prompt List Challenge: (word) Bookcase

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/GTA V Prompts: "You can jerk me off if I get bored. I'm kidding! You can suck me off."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Feelings & Emotions: Hesitant

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/HP Locations: Library

 **Word Count:** 1,251 words

Thanks to HP Slash Luv and 3cheersforidiots for your beta services :)

* * *

 _ **Chapter One  
**_ _ **Parma Violets**_

"Regulus, knock it off. I'm trying to study!" Barty hissed at his friend, glowering. Regulus was sitting opposite him in the Slytherin Common Room, not concentrating on his own homework. Instead, Regulus was flicking suspicious-looking Bertie Bott's Beans over at Barty, trying to distract him from his work.

"You're so boring. It's _Saturday_ ," groaned Regulus, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. "Who does homework on a _Saturday?_ "

"Someone who wants to pass all the NEWTs that his father is making him do, that's who," snapped Barty, throwing a handful of the sweets at his friend. "Urgh, this is pointless! I can't concentrate with you around. I'm going to the library."

"Fine, we'll go to the library."

Barty shot Regulus a leering stare, smirking. "I didn't invite you along. You don't have to spend every waking moment attached to my arse, you know," he said, as he climbed out of his seat and gathered up his work.

Regulus grinned and slapped Barty's rear as he walked passed him, causing the latter to jump dramatically and glance around the Common Room, making sure that no one had seen it. "I'm coming to the library. I could read a book or something."

"Won't you get bored?" Barty raised an eyebrow. Regulus was much more suited to flying around on his broomstick on the Quidditch Pitch—he rarely visited the library, unless it was a dire situation.

"You can jerk me off if I get bored," Regulus muttered, smirking. "I'm kidding!" he continued, noticing Barty's mortified expression. "You can suck me off."

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, Barty and Regulus had reached the library. Not unusually, the library was fairly empty—not many people opted to spend their weekends in the library, especially not other seventh year students. Hogsmeade visits were happening every other weekend now, and most students preferred spending some time out of Hogwarts.

Barty didn't mind that there was a distinct lack of other students in the library. He enjoyed the peacefulness of the place, and being able to browse through books at will. He was probably the sole person at Hogwarts who got on with Madam Pince too; she always smiled brightly when he entered the library, most likely ecstatic that someone quiet was going to be using her books.

When he entered this time, however, Madam Pince's smile faltered when she noticed Regulus. Like many other teachers, she expected Regulus to have the same kind of attitude and callousness for the school rules as his brother before him had. Sirius had left school now, and Barty and Regulus were in their final year—but teachers still expected the worst from Regulus.

Whilst he wasn't as noisy or flippant as Sirius had been at Hogwarts, Regulus did have an air of sarcasm and a haughty attitude, which he displayed often around teachers. His good looks and cavalier charm did him wonders, and it wasn't often that he got into trouble. He wasn't an O-Level student like Barty was, as Regulus preferred spending time playing Quidditch and being with his friends, feeling quite confident that he didn't really need his studies. However, if he really tried, Regulus could get flying colours in his exams—something which irritated Barty to no end, as Barty had to study impossibly hard to achieve the desired results.

As they sat down at a table in the library, Barty noticed that Regulus had his box of Bertie Bott's Beans in the baggy sleeve of his robes, and he was wearing a mischievous expression. Rolling his eyes, Barty stood up. "I'm going to go look for a book before you get us into trouble," he said in a low voice.

Regulus sniggered.

Barty was deep in a maze of bookcases when he smelled an unusual, but not unpleasant smell. It was like brown sugar, honey and... "Parma Violets," he murmured, thinking of the delectable, violet-coloured Muggle sweets that had been passed around the Great Hall in years previously. He followed his nose for the source of the smell, until he found himself in front of a large, mahogany bookcase, containing books for potion recipes.

Thinking it was one of the books that smelled so intriguing, Barty began plucking books out from the bookcase, sniffing their spines and pages. Before long, he had a pile of books in his arms, and there was a substantial gap in the shelf.

A small, quiet cough broke his concentration, and he snapped his attention towards the gap in the shelf. A pair of wide, glassy grey eyes were staring back at him unblinkingly. In his sudden shock, Barty dropped the pile of books, and they crashed loudly on the concrete floor.

"...What in the name of Merlin!" Madam Pince's familiar hiss sounded, and she appeared around the corner of the bookcases immediately, craning her neck like a vulture. She looked disappointed when she realised who it was who had dropped the books. "Barty Crouch!" she whispered, though her voice still echoed through the huge library. "I thought you had more appreciation for books!"

"I'm sorry, Madam," Barty garbled, reaching down to begin picking up the books. The strange, silvery eyes were still flashing in his vision. "I—I tripped."

"Well, make sure they all go back to their original places," Madam Pince murmured, and she stalked back to her desk quickly, her long black robes flicking around the corner.

Inwardly groaning, Barty began to scoop up the books in his arms, shaking them out by the spines so that their pages were straightened, and then he placed them one-by-one back on the shelf. It wasn't until every book was back in the bookcase, when the smell of Parma Violets filled his nostrils once again, and he spun around on his heel.

The silver-grey eyes were in front of him once again, except, now he could see the body that they were attached to. A thin, wide-eyed girl stood in front of him, clutching a heavy, fur-lined book in her hands. She had long, dirty-blonde hair which was piled on the top of her head in a messy fashion, with various tendrils escaping around her neck and shoulders. There appeared to be radishes attached to her earlobes, a quill tucked behind her ear, and a string of Butterbeer corks around her neck. The blue and bronze crest on her robes told Barty that she was in Ravenclaw, but he had never seen this girl before. She wasn't in his year group, probably a few years below, but he'd never spotted her at the Great Hall before.

"I'm sorry I made you jump," she spoke with an airy, feathery voice. "I was coming around to help you pick up the books — but I see you've already managed that."

"Who are you?" Barty asked suddenly, ignoring her apology. "I've never seen you before."

The strange girl looked away hesitantly, clutching her book closer to her chest. "I—I have to go." she said quickly, and before Barty could reply, she had flitted around the corner. By the time he had rushed to the end of the corridor of bookcases, she was nowhere in sight.

"Who was that pretty little thing?" a familiar, smooth, silky voice filled Barty's ears as he stared out into the library, searching for a hint of blonde hair. Regulus had wandered over to look for Barty, his hands thrust into the pockets of his robes.

"I don't know," Barty replied quietly. "I have no idea."

* * *

 **Note:** I know that 'NEWT's should be spelled with dot/spaces between each letter, but FF isn't letting me do that!


	2. Bullies & Buddies

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #2: Your landings are most likely going to be shaky and why wouldn't this occur in a relationship as well? For this task, I want you to write about a misunderstanding that is causing problems in your relationship. With a bad landing, you should quickly jump to your feet, mount your broom and try again! Your pairing should do the exact same with this rocky part and you have to show that in the story.

Required prompt used: (plot) someone bullying a member of your pairing

Extra prompt used: (dialogue) "Don't give me that look."/"Why?"/"You and I both know what happens when you give me that look and now is not the time."

\- The 2016 Monthly Prompt List Challenge: [Scenario] You helped me get my knapsack out of the ceiling after bullies stuffed it there, and then you tracked down said bullies and taught them a lesson, and I'm not into violence but I'm totally into you…

 **Word Count:** 1,731

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two  
**_ _ **Bullies & Buddies**_

Luna watched disdainfully as a group of seventh Slytherin year boys tore down the corridor away from her, clutching the backpack that they had just snatched out of her hands. She had come a long way to get away from bullies, but it seemed that meeting some was unavoidable.

She sighed, and trudged after them slowly, listening as their laughter echoed along the hallway. She only got a few yards, before a hand clapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. "Hey!"

Luna spun around wildly, staring up at the person who had made her jump. It was a Slytherin boy, probably also in the seventh year, with neat, glossy black hair and dark, glittering eyes. He was smiling widely—and although Luna thought that he was harmless enough, she suspected something sinister in the way he bore his teeth slightly in his grin, like a shark.

"I'm sorry," Luna replied quietly, turning back to face the corridor and folding her arms. "I've not got anything else for you to take. Everything I had on me was in that bag."

The boy looked confused; his dark brow knitted together and his smile faltered. "Huh?" he blinked, clearly ignorant to what it was that Luna was talking about. "Can we start again?" He stuck out a hand and puffed out his chest slightly. "I'm—"

"—Regulus?" another voice called from down the hallway, and both Luna and Regulus turned to see who it was. The boy whom Luna had met a few days ago in the library, with the dark blond hair and chestnut coloured eyes was heading down the corridor, swinging his rucksack between his legs. "I've been looking for you everywhere—what are you doing?"

Regulus pursed his lips, and Luna noticed his expression tighten a little. "I was just introducing myself to...what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," Luna responded, her lips twitching into the shadow of a smile. "Look, I have to—"

"I know where you've come from," the other boy interrupted suddenly, sounding unnecessarily menacing. Luna raised her eyebrows slightly, and Regulus gave him a pointed glare.

"Barty," he murmured warningly, but Barty was staring at Luna with an odd look in his eyes.

"You've been given a transfer. I've heard about witches and wizards who don't get their magical powers until a lot later on in their teens. That's what's happened to you, right? I mean, why else would you just suddenly appear in your—what are you, in your fifth or sixth year? It's okay, you can tell us. I mean, other kids might make fun of you if they found out, but I'm not a little snitch like—" Barty shot Regulus a dirty look, but he was smirking. "—some of us."

"Don't give me that look," Regulus laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Why?"

"You and I both know what happens when you give me that look, and now is not the time." Now it was Barty's turn to roll his eyes and turn his attention back to Luna.

"So? I'm right, aren't I?"

"I—no, no you're not," Luna sighed, resisting the urge to roll her own eyes at how wrong he was. "Look, I'll see you around—I really have to go." She started to hurry down the corridor, but she didn't have any corners to turn around any time soon, so Barty was able to follow her.

"Wait!" he called, but Regulus grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him back. "Get off me, idiot," he snapped. "I need to talk to her."

"Back off, Barty," he replied quietly, so that Luna wouldn't overhear as she briskly walked away. "You always get weird around girls," he added in a hushed tone.

"I do not," Barty sniffed, his cheeks tingeing pink. "Anyway, it was you who was getting all smarmy with he—" he was cut off as Regulus pressed his lips to his quickly, swallowing any other words that threatened to spill out of his mouth. Barty pulled away almost as suddenly as the kiss happened, lurching his head around wildly. "What are you _doing?_ " he muttered, though he placed his hand gently on Regulus's chest. "Someone will see."

"Do you not think that I checked out for any nosy kids whilst I was listening to you whinge?" Regulus chuckled. "Now come on—lets catch up with her. You've obviously freaked her out." He interlocked his fingers through Barty's, briefly squeezing his hand before dropping it, and the pair headed off after Luna.

* * *

They found her on the third floor corridor, staring up into the rafters, where a pale blue rucksack was swinging by its straps. She was just raising her wand, about to levitate it back down to her, when she was surprised by Barty and Regulus for only the second time that day.

"What did you put your bag up there for?" Regulus asked stupidly, before the obvious seemed to cross his mind. Barty elbowed him in the ribs.

"Sometimes I think you're being deliberately stupid," he hissed, before looking at Luna. He pressed his lips together, feeling automatically nervous around the fair-skinned, unusual girl. Her silver eyes observed him carefully. "Back there. I'm sorry, for being so...erm..."

"Judgemental?" Luna offered, and Barty nodded.

"Yeah, that. I...you just...I feel like I— _we_ —should get to know you."

Luna turned her attention back to her bag, and flourished her wand in a quick motion. Her bag began to float down towards her, and it landed in her hands. She opened it up quickly and checked the contents, and released a brief sigh of relief. Before she fastened it back up, Barty thought he caught the glimpse of a thin, golden chain, but he didn't see what it was attached to.

"As you can see, I don't really have much luck with friends," she stated, nodded towards the rafters.

"Who did it?" Regulus asked, folding his arms across his chest. There was a kind smile on his face, and Luna's slightly blank expression warmed a little.

"I don't know. Some seventh year boys—it doesn't matter, though," Luna sighed, but her smile brightened. "It's not unusual for me."

"I know who did it," Barty snarled suddenly, and he pushed his way between Regulus and Luna, and started streaming down the corridor. Luna blinked after him, looking slightly bewildered, but Regulus didn't wait—he tore after Barty, who seemed to be kicking up dust in his tracks.

"Barty, wait!" Regulus called, but the other Slytherin was seeing red. He seemed unable to hear anything else around him, especially not his best friend shouting after him. Luna caught up with Regulus, running alongside him briskly.

"What's the matter with him?" she asked uncertainly, staring after him. "I thought—I mean, he seemed a little...shy."

"That's Barty," Regulus chuckled as Barty vanished around a corner. "A man of few words—but the ones that come out aren't always the right ones. He has a temper like a _motherf_ —"

" _Expelliarmus!"_ Barty's voice cut through Regulus's cursing, and they rushed around the corner. When they reached him, Barty was pointing his wand at three Slytherins, and was clutching a handful of their wands in his free hand.

The boys—who Regulus recognised as Rabastan Lestrange and two of his cronies—were staring at Barty, looking startled. He had clearly caught them off guard—that, or they were confused that quiet little Barty Crouch, who usually stuck to his books and hid in the library, was confronting them.

"What the hell are you doing, Crouch?" snapped Rabastan, popping an eyebrow. "Give us our wands back. I don't need it to beat the crap out of you."

"Say sorry to her," Barty replied quietly, but their was a dangerous undertone to his voice that made the hairs on the back of Luna's neck stand on edge. Rabastan looked over at Luna, who was half-hidden behind Regulus, and his eyebrow disappeared further into his long fringe, a smirk growing on his face.

"This is about the girl? _Really,_ you're going soft because of some pretty little thing," his eyes flickered to the blue-and-bronze crest on Luna's robes. "A Ravenclaw, too. Like your daddy, Crouch?"

" _Calvorio,"_ hissed Barty, slashing his wand through the air. A jet of red light streamed out of the tip of his wand and hit Rabastan squarely in the forehead, though he tried to duck the curse. Just as Luna and Regulus were contemplating whether the spell had actually worked, strands of hair began to fall from Rabastan's head, like a cat that was malting.

He reached up and grabbed at his shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair, but it was too late. Barty's smirk widened as Rabastan started pulling chunks of hair out of his head, leaving pale bald patches across his head.

"Barty..." whispered Luna, shocked that he'd done such a thing—even though, since his full name had been disclosed, she knew perfectly well of the man that he would become. She looked up at Regulus to see if he was mirroring her horror, but he was laughing loudly and clapping his hands.

"Alright, fine!" Rabastan yelled, angry tears beginning to spring into his eyes. "I'm sorry for hiding your bag, okay?" Luna nodded quickly, and Barty threw the wands at Rabastan.

Before the three Slytherins could scoop up their wands and try to get Barty back, he had already begun charging down the corridor again, with Luna and Regulus racing swiftly after him. Once they were safely out of view, they ducked into an archway in the corridor, catching their breath.

Once she had air back in her lungs, Luna clutched her chest and turned her attention to Barty. "You didn't have to do that," she murmured, feeling slightly nervous under his gaze. She didn't care much for violence—especially not when she felt slightly to blame.

But as Barty raked his hand through his scruffy hair and gave her a small smile, her heart fluttered slightly. "I'm Luna," she told them both. "Luna Lovegood." She stuck out her hand, and they both took turns to shake it.

"I'm sorry that things have gotten off on the wrong foot," Regulus stated, grinning. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "But how about we all go to Hogsmeade next week? You can tell us _all_ about where you've come from, then."

Luna hesitated, but as Barty eyed hopefully her with his deep brown gaze, she nodded. "Okay."


	3. Forget Me Not

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #3: We should consider the speed of a relationship as we do the speed when on a broom. Maybe one of our pairing is moving too fast in some regard and making the other uncomfortable. There are so many factors that could be causing problems so you shouldn't struggle. / Prompt used: (location) Hogsmeade

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Charmed: (Object) Flowers, (Scenario) Being hit on by a person using cheesy pickup lines

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/My Mad Fat Diary: "People can either accept you for who you are, or they can fuck off.", "I like talking to you. And I don't like talking to anybody.", "I think the hardest part about being a teenager is dealing with other teenagers; the criticism and the ridicule, the gossip and rumours."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/HP Pick Up Lines: "Are you a Boggart? Because I have a fear of hot girls."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Feelings & Emotions: Playful, Fascinated, Absorbed

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/HP Locations: The Three Broomsticks

 **Word Count:** 1,758

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three  
**_ _ **Forget Me Not**_

It wasn't until the weekend that Barty and Regulus saw Luna again, despite attempting to search for her amongst the halls of Hogwarts. Regulus had sent her a scrap of paper, suggesting that they meet at the Three Broomsticks during the Hogsmeade visit, but she hadn't responded. Regardless, Barty and Regulus had bolted straight for the local pub as soon as they arrived at Hogsmeade.

"Did you really have to be so soppy?" Barty scoffed as they took a seat at the back of the pub. He was referring to the bunch of blue flowers that Regulus was carrying, and the way that he had smoothed back his dark hair with wax. Regulus rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't hurt to make an effort when you're meeting a pretty girl, Barty," he muttered, scanning the pub. "You should try it some time."

"What about the flowers?"

Regulus shrugged. "Girls like flowers."

"For Merlin's sake," snapped Barty. "You're not on a date with her! We're just meeting her for a drink!" He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest, huffing. The corners of Regulus's lips tugged upwards into a smirk.

"Is that a hint of _jealousy_ , Barty?" he leaned forward, nuzzling into the soft area of skin behind Barty's ear. "You know you're still the prettiest to me, don't you."

"I'm not jealous of Luna, idiot," hissed Barty. "I'm not jealous at all!" his face was flushing, and Regulus sniggered.

"Mother just always taught us that we should be polite to girls. Luna's new here, and she's obviously had a hard time since she got here. I just wanted to make her feel welcome."

"Fine," responded Barty. "But we're going to tell her we _both_ picked her the flowers," he snatched the bunch of Forget-Me-Nots out of Regulus's hands before he could protest.

At that moment, a breeze blew through the door. Both Slytherins looked up as a cloud of pale blonde hair entered the Three Broomsticks. They both stood up automatically, almost knocking the other one over, as Luna smiled brightly and headed over to their table.

She was wearing a short trench coat in lavender, and when she took it off, Barty and Regulus noticed that she wasn't wearing her school robes, with it being Saturday. She was dressed in short denim overalls and a lacy white top underneath, and her blonde hair was loose and hanging almost down to her waist. Her silvery eyes flickered between Barty and Regulus as she placed her coat on the back of her chair and took a seat. "Hello," she greeted softly, flashing her smile between them.

Barty and Regulus were both momentarily speechless, but Regulus was the first to crack. He snatched the flowers out of Barty's hand and thrust them towards Luna, grinning. "Are you a Boggart?" he asked playfully as Luna carefully took the flowers from him. Her smile faded, clearly she was confused by his question.

"I beg your pardon?"

Barty finally broke his trance and he shot a dark look at Regulus. "Don't be a twat," he muttered, but it was too late.

"Because I have a fear of hot girls!" Regulus finished, and he paused, waiting for the inevitable laughter. None came. Instead, Barty continued to stare at him, mortified, and Luna raised her eyebrows. "Merlin, I'm sorry," Regulus broke the awkward silence. His pale cheeks were tingeing pink. "I was trying to be funny."

Luna's smile returned. "Thank you for the flowers," she told them both, though her gaze lingered a little longer on Barty. "That was really kind of you."

"You're welcome," both boys chorused, but Regulus continued talking over Barty. "So, where have you been this week? We haven't seen you."

"Oh, I've been around," Luna replied distantly. "I'm afraid I haven't got much time..."

"Lets cut to the chase, then," Barty said suddenly, sounding unintentionally harsh. "What are you doing here?"

Regulus shot a sidelong glare at Barty and nudged him sharply in the ribs, but Luna didn't look perturbed. "It's okay," she answered. "I...I guess I can tell you. But you shouldn't let on to anyone else that you know. Can I trust you?"

Barty nodded solemnly, and Regulus reached across and took Luna's hands. "Of course you can," he told her. Luna took a deep breath, and reached into the front of her shirt, pulling out a long, golden chain. She pulled it over her head, and showed the pendant to Barty and Regulus. It was a strange, golden object with a small hourglass set in the centre.

"Do you know what this is?"she asked them quietly, allowing them both to get a good look at it. When she was satisfied that they had seen it, she quickly threw the chain around her neck and tucked the pendant back inside the front of her top. Regulus shook his head, but Barty nodded. He was leaning across the table now, fascinated.

"That's a Time-Turner," he said softly. "But where did you get it?" his brown eyes were glittering with something new, a strange kind of excitement that Luna hadn't seen in him before.

"That's not important," Luna answered. "I just wanted you to know how I came to be here...if we're going to be friends," she added the last part in a much quieter tone, as though she was hoping they wouldn't quite catch it. They did, however, and Barty's expression softened.

"You want to be our friend?" he questioned, cocking an eyebrow. Luna let her hair hang over her face, and she looked up through her eyelashes.

"Of course I do," she told them both. The three of them were quiet for a few moments, as Luna and Barty exchanged a silent stare across the table.

"So..." Regulus started, causing Luna to snap her attention to him. _"When_ have you come from?"

"Not too far," Luna stated. "A little over a decade, I guess. You shouldn't know too much about my time, that could be dangerous."

"Why have you come here?" Barty questioned. "Why this time in particular?"

Luna shrugged. "I just needed to...I needed to get away for a little while. I wanted to go somewhere far enough that I wouldn't meet anyone who might know me, but not as far as say, my father's time at Hogwarts," she paused for breath, suddenly looking a little sombre and sad. Hogwarts in the future is...well, it's the same as ever, I guess. But I find myself singled out a lot. Other students make fun of me, and steal my things—like those Slytherin students did the other day. I don't care, of course—I mean, I think it's rude and unnecessary, but it doesn't really bother me that much. But sometimes...sometimes it gets a little too much. I just wanted a break. I just wanted to spend some time around different students, and see if there was a change—or if it was just me."

Barty and Regulus were both staring at her, absorbed in what she was saying. "How could anyone make fun of you?" Regulus looked appalled. "You seem such a sweet person."

Luna's smile returned. "Thank you."

"Do you like it better here?" Barty asked, and Luna shrugged again.

"I haven't spent much time here, yet."

"I'm going to get us a round of Butterbeers," Regulus exclaimed suddenly, jumping out of his seat. "I'll be back in a moment!" he abandoned the table, joining the queue at the bar and leaving Barty and Luna alone at the table.

After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence, Barty spoke. "I know how you feel, you know," he told her. "I was bullied too, before I got close to Regulus. Because I'm in Slytherin, and my Dad's a big shot at the Ministry. He's put a lot of Slytherin parents in Azkaban, and they used to take it out on me a lot," he paused. "But you seem to have taken it a lot better than me. I get angry and violent and stupid."

"I don't think you're stupid," Luna told him softly. "I think the hardest part of being a teenager is dealing with other teenagers; the criticism and the ridicule, the gossip and rumours, you know? I guess my excursion to another time has shown me that teenagers are always the same, no matter _when_ they're from."

Barty nodded. "I guess you're right."

"I like talking to you," Luna continued, her smile brightening. "We have a lot in common."

"I like talking to you, too," Barty told her, feeling his cheeks becoming hot. "And I don't like talking to _anybody._ With the exception of Reg, I suppose."

Luna laughed, and Barty drummed his fingers on the table.

"Look, when you go back to your time," he started, biting into his bottom lip. He was taking it a little personally, how much Luna seemed to have been picked on and victimised. "Don't take any of their shit. People can either accept you for who you are, or they can fuck off."

Regulus chose that moment to return to the table with a tray of Butterbeers, which he placed down in front of them. Barty covered his flushed face by quickly grabbing a mug and taking a deep drink, but he was sure that Luna had noticed, anyway. She hadn't taken her gaze away from him.

"Luna, I was thinking while I was at the bar," Regulus started, pushing a drink towards Luna.

"That's a first," muttered Barty, but Regulus ignored him.

"How about the three of us meet up every day?" he offered. "Obviously we can't come here every day—but we can find a spot in the castle to meet and have a chat, and stuff..." his voice tailed off, as Luna's expression had suddenly gone from pleasant to mildly shocked. "I think it's obvious that...that Barty and I really like you."

"Every day?" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. "I don't know, Regulus...that's nice of you, but we've only just met a few days ago."

Regulus backed down, looking rejected. Barty rolled his eyes at Regulus, kicking him under the table. _'You're pushing her,'_ he wanted to hiss at Regulus. "No problem," Regulus continued, looking a little embarrassed.

"I'm going to get off now," Luna stood up from her seat, collecting up her coat. She smiled at both of them. "I'll see you around," she called, and quickly flitted away from the table and out of the door, leaving nothing but the smell of her sweet shampoo in the air.


	4. A Place to Hide

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #4: This is a test of your pairing. There are always going to be downs in your relationship and this is where we discuss a very deep down. Both of your pairing should be feeling the problem and should overcome it. The problem must be an obstacle that is perceived as difficult and could be a family member dying, an assault or a past history of abuse. / Prompt used: (dialogue) "I will never let you down."

\- Flying Lessons Extra Prompts: (dialogue) "You seriously think that this is enough to get rid of me?", (action) cuddling in bed, (word) Hide, (action) giving a tissue, (word) Pretend

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Poems Porn: "No matter how strong a girl is, she has a weak point. And sometimes, all she needs is a hug.", "I admire people who choose to shine, even after all of the storms they've been through."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Frat Pack: "This has been an emotional day for all of us. I think we should get naked."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/My Mad Fat Diary: "It's fucking embarrassing how good I look some days.", "His arse is so beautiful that sometimes I have to stop myself from crying when I look at it."

\- Word Prompt Express: Strength

 **Word Count:** 2,097

* * *

 _ **Chapter Four  
**_ _ **A Place to Hide**_

Regulus sighed as he walked through the empty halls of Hogwarts, kicking various items of debris out of the way as he walked. The months had passed quickly, and now it was the Easter holidays—most of the students of Hogwarts had gone home for the holidays. Of course, Regulus had the option of returning to Grimmauld Place for the fortnight, but he chose to spend it keeping an eye out for his friend.

The Easter holidays weren't a great time for Barty. He had been about nine when his mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and had announced it over their Easter supper. Since then, his life at home had gone downhill. He had told Regulus all about it in confidence, once he had been sure that he could trust Regulus as a true friend—and a lover.

Mr Crouch had brought a nanny into the household, someone who was put in charge of looking after Barty and teaching him from home, as most Pureblood wizards didn't go to any kind of school before going to Hogwarts. It had been Barty's mother who had taught Barty before she came down with sickness, but she just didn't have the strength anymore, mentally or physically. Whilst Mr Crouch spent his days and most of the evenings working at the Ministry, Mrs Crouch would be bedridden on the top floor of the Manor, and Barty would be forced to spend all of his time with the nanny.

She was a young woman, around eighteen or nineteen, and was a family friend. They called her Polly, though Barty never knew exactly which family she came from, and wore pretty flowery dresses and always fastened her mousey-brown hair on top of her head. When Barty first met her, he was sure that she was going to be a great sitter, as she seemed intelligent and kind, with her smiling face and tender disposition.

However, things soon went downhill when his parents were out of the way. It became quite clear that Polly had no interest in children, she was only bothered about the stacks of gold that Mr Crouch was paying her to look after Barty. She would lock Barty in the library alone, leaving him to do nothing but read and re-read the books that lined the shelves. She wouldn't feed him, and would only let him out at dinner time, so that he could make her dinner. It was whilst he was struggling to manually cook up whatever she requested when he would try and sneak mouthfuls of food to ease his hunger.

If she caught him, she would lose her mind. "What do you think you're doing, getting your slimy hands all over my food?" she'd scream, and Barty would be forced to cower. The pretty, smiling girl with the dimples would be gone, replaced by a raging demon, ready to devour Barty.

It started with slaps, but she eventually started hitting him harder, causing him to bruise. Before long, she would wrap her fingers around his throat and throttle him. Eventually, she apparently didn't think that her fists were hurting him enough, and she started using her wand to inflict pain upon him.

Regulus had seen the scars that covered Barty's back and torso, and knew that there were a lot more mental scars that couldn't be seen so easily. He was always plagued with flashbacks and nightmares, moreso at this time of year, and Regulus had learned how to deal with it. But Barty didn't always want to let Regulus in, and would find somewhere to hide when he wanted to be alone.

With a loud sigh, he took a seat in a nearby archway, staring into his reflection in a mirror on the wall opposite. He'd had his fair share of childhood difficulties, what with the way that he had been brought up, but Regulus's pain was nothing in comparison to Barty's.

He was distracted from his thoughts as a familiar face loomed into view. Luna was standing in front of him, smiling sadly, her usually glittering eyes looking quite downcast. She sat down next to Regulus, and met his eyes in the mirror.

"It's fucking embarrassing how good I look some days," Regulus chuckled, winking at Luna through the glass. She laughed, knowing he wasn't being deliberately narcissistic. "Are you okay, Luna? You look...off."

"Do I?" Luna replied vacantly, looking away.

"You can't pretend there's nothing wrong with you around me," Regulus went on. "I can see though anyone. It's both a blessing and a curse."

"Oh..." Luna murmured, looking down at her fingernails, which she was fidgeting with. "Well, I'm worried about Barty."

Regulus cocked an eyebrow. "You are?"

"He...he told me about...what happened to him, with the nanny."

Regulus almost breathed out in relief. He knew that if their friendship was to continue, Luna would eventually have to know about Barty's past and understand him. He hadn't wanted to be the one to tell Luna, so he was glad that Barty had chosen to divulge her.

"Luna, you're sweet. But you don't need to worry about him. He gets like this every year, but we just have to keep an eye out for him."

"I've been looking for him all morning. I haven't seen him anywhere. Was he in the Slytherin Common Room?"

Regulus shook his head. "He must have left in the early hours of the morning, because when I woke up he was gone. Luna, _please_ try not to worry. He will come to us when he needs help. I know from experience."

Luna's eyes suddenly flashed, as though there was a hint of anger in them, but the light passed quickly. " _Do_ you, though?"

"Is this about something else?"

Luna's fidgeting grew a little more fast paced. "I understand what Barty's gone through," she told him quietly. "I understand a lot more than he thinks."

Regulus was quiet for a moment. "Do you mean...?"

"I had a bad experience in my childhood, too. But I've managed to get over my past, and I'm a stronger person because of it. I want...I want to help Barty. I want him to get stronger, too. You love him, don't you?"

"His arse is so beautiful that sometimes I have to stop myself from crying when I look at it," Regulus chuckled, but his face grew sombre when he noticed Luna's serious expression. "Of course I love him. You're a great friend, Luna. I admire people who choose to shine, even after all the storms they've been through."

Luna sniffled, and Regulus noticed tears welling up in her silver eyes. He dug around in his pocket until he recovered a tissue, and handed it to her. She accepted it gratefully, and started dabbing at her eyes. "I'm...I'm not ready to tell you about it yet. But I will do," she promised. "I just don't want you to think differently of me. I don't want you to...to stop being friends with me because of it."

Regulus chuckled, and threw an arm over Luna's shoulders. "You seriously think that this is enough to get rid of me?" He pulled her into his embrace, and she tentatively hugged him back. He could tell that she didn't like breaking down her barriers, and appearing vulnerable in front of him. "No matter how strong a girl is, she has a weak point. And sometimes, all she needs is a hug."

oOo

Luna closed her eyes as she walked back and forth across the wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. This room had been a safe haven for her during her time at Hogwarts in the future, and she was hoping that Barty would know about it too.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Regulus asked from behind her, sounding doubtful. He'd never heard of the Come and Go Room, much less tried to search for it.

' _I want a place to hide,'_ she thought desperately, wondering if Barty had thought the same thing. Regulus had told her that Barty often hid out of the way during his more emotional phases, and where else would he find a better hiding place, other than the Room of Requirement? _'I want a place to hide.'_

On her third stroll past the tapestry, she glanced up at the bare wall and spotted a large, wooden door that hadn't been there previously. Her heart fluttered with excitement, and she double-glanced up and down the hall, before hurrying into the Room of Requirement.

She had found a Room to Hide, instead of the Room of Hidden Things, which is what she had been expecting. Whenever she tried to hide in her own present, she was presented with the aisles and aisles of shelves, all piled high with hidden things. This room, however, was different. Instead of the piles of junk, she was faced with hundreds and hundreds of screens, the types that you used to duck behind to get changed, should there be anyone in the room with you.

"What the hell is this place," murmured Regulus, looking around in shock. Luna raised a finger to her lips, and leaned in closer to him.

"Let me find him first," she whispered, and Regulus pressed his lips together. "Trust me."

Rolling his eyes, Regulus nodded, and Luna walked through the first gap in the screens, making her way through the makeshift maze.

She came across several wider areas of the maze, as though rooms had been created with the screens, and all of them contained different things. One had a cauldron and a stove in the centre. Another held several short bookcases filed with books. One had nothing but a plush armchair in the centre, and a few just had rugs and cushions thrown along the floor. Finally, Luna found one that looked as though it had been manhandled a little.

There were more screens pulled around the 'room', and there was no easy entrance. Being as quiet as she could, Luna pulled the screens apart and peered through the gap.

A single, four-poster bed was in the centre, adorned with cream coloured sheets and curtains. Luna edged closer and pushed aside one of the curtains, and spotted a Barty-shaped lump under the white blankets. "Barty?" she whispered, and Barty turned over, blinking at her groggily. His hair was scruffy and bedraggled, and his brown eyes looked tired.

"Luna, what are you doing here?" he mumbled, but he didn't sound angry.

"I...Regulus and I were worried about you," she told him. "Barty, I want to help you."

"You can't help me. It happens every year, Luna. I just have to get over it. You don't understand."

"I do understand," she told him, staring at him knowingly, and Barty's gaze softened. They didn't say anything for a few moments.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I didn't realise."

Luna shook her head, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Let us help you, Barty."

"Yeah, babe," another voice piped up, and Regulus suddenly appeared through the gap in the screens. "Let us help."

Barty burrowed his face under the covers. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he groaned, through a thick voice. He sounded like he was starting to cry. Regulus pounced on the bed, digging around until he had joined Barty under the blankets, and Barty squealed in shock. Regulus was tickling him.

"We're your friends, idiot," he told Barty. "We love you."

Barty looked at Luna suddenly, and she felt a pink tinge spreading across her face. "You do?"

"Of course we do," she said quietly, her lip shaking. Barty's sombre expression cracked into a smile.

"Now, come on. This has been an emotional day for all of us," Regulus laughed, grabbing Luna's arm. She yelped in shock as she was dragged into the bed, right into the middle of them. "I think we should get naked." Regulus screeched as Barty pinched him, hard.

"Idiot," Barty snapped, but he was laughing. He wrapped his arm around Luna's waist and buried his face into the the hollow of her neck, and Regulus threw an arm over her torso, stroking Barty's upper arm with his fingers. His face was in her hair, and Luna listened to them both breathing softly, holding her tightly. It was a strange situation to be in, but Luna had never felt more comfortable and safe in her entire life.

"I love _both_ of you," Regulus said quietly, his voice vibrating between the three of them. "I'll never let you down."


	5. Brown Eyes

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #5: You have to pick one of your pairing (or triad, in Sophie's case) and decide what position they would be. If someone is already a Quidditch player, don't just go by their position on the pitch. Once you've picked a position, focus your story regarding the description. This week is an easier week than most because you can let your mind go wild! **Beater:** Someone who is awfully protective of their friends and family and don't mind getting in trouble to show it. They aren't necessarily violent but people will eventually be scared to anger them. / Prompt used: (location) The Great Hall

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Sex and the City: (dialogue) "They're stupid and lazy and they should be shot on sight.", (word) Threatened

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Secret Diary of a Call Girl: (word) Powerful, (dialogue) "You know me, I never play by the rules."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Poems Porn: "Sometimes you meet someone and even though you never liked brown eyes before, their eyes are your new favourite colour."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Said Synonyms: chirped, asked, grumbled, spat

\- Word Prompt Express: present

 **Word Count:** 1,925

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five  
**_ _ **Brown Eyes**_

Travelling through time was beginning to have an impact on Luna, but she wasn't about to admit that out loud. After several months of living almost constantly in the past, she was travelling back to her present less and less. When she did, she was confused about her surroundings and where—or _when_ —she was. Deep down, she knew that she was going to have to return indefinitely at some point, but she didn't want to just yet.

To do so would mean to leave Barty and Regulus behind. Not just that, but to leave this entire new life behind. She had never felt such a strong sense of belonging before now. She felt like an anachronism; she'd been born in the wrong decade altogether.

Barty and Regulus's final day at Hogwarts came around much quicker than Luna could ever have expected, and it was on that day that she knew she would have to leave them soon. It wouldn't be long before they would both embark on new areas of their lives—and in Barty's case, Luna knew that his path wouldn't be the best one. If she were to get involved with the choices he made after leaving Hogwarts, she could alter a lot in the present time, and she didn't want to be responsible for any drastic changes.

It was sad, but it was what had to happen.

She sat in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, waiting for Barty and Regulus to come up from the dungeons to greet her. She spotted their faces, both of them grinning and pulling their trunks behind them, out of their robes and dressed in casual Muggle clothing. Her heartstrings tugged at the sight of them—she wasn't ready to leave them just yet.

Perhaps she could stretch just a few more days with them? She knew for a fact that neither of them had become Death Eaters yet—both of them were currently wearing short sleeved t-shirts with their bare arms exposed, and even though everyone in their right minds was aware of Voldemort and his movement, it was still the early days for Barty and Regulus yet. They still had a few years before things would turn truly bad.

A flicker of hope blossomed within Luna. She still had a few years left.

"Hey, daydream queen," Regulus chirped as he and Barty arrived at Luna's side. "Why are you still in your Ravenclaw robes?" he lowered his voice. "Not that you've needed them at all while you've been here. All you've done is lurk around the school," he sniggered.

"I've been doing my schooling in my own time," Luna replied with a smile. "So that's none of your concern."

"Where are you going now?" Barty asked immediately, and she shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess, I was waiting to see what the pair of you were going to do, now that you've finished Hogwarts."

 _"I_ want to celebrate," Barty started, earning a sigh and an eye-roll from Regulus. "I suggested that the three of us spent the night in a hotel, or something."

Luna raised her eyebrows, staring widely at Barty.

"Not like that!" he said hastily, his face glowing. "I just meant it could be fun, you know. If we stay in one of those Muggle bed-and-breakfast things. We could play cards and—"

"—as much as playing cards sounds like a truly _riveting_ idea," Regulus interjected sarcastically. "You know that my parents will be waiting on that platform for me, Barty. They're not going to let me wander off to some Muggle suburb with you, when your dad has thrown some of their best mates in jail, and you," Regulus nodded to Luna. "They don't even know who you are. They'll have a million questions that you won't be able to answer. And anyway—your dad is going to be the same, Barty. We'll both be going down to the Ministry tomorrow in our best suits to be employed as interns to our fathers."

Barty groaned loudly.

"You know it's the rules," Regulus added with a sigh. "My parents are being even more serious with me since Sirius was disowned."

"You know me, I never play by the rules. I'm beginning to think Sirius had the right idea," grumbled Barty. "Your parents are ridiculous."

Regulus didn't reply, so Luna piped up. "You don't like Regulus's mum and dad?"

"They're stupid and lazy and they should be shot on sight," Barty replied curtly. Regulus threw him a dark look. "Hey, it's true! I hate my father passionately, but no one can say that he's lazy. I know your dad works with the Ministry, but what does he do, really, apart from throwing them some complementary money every couple of months? And your mum—well, I won't even get started with _her_."

 _"Fine!"_ roared Regulus suddenly, making Luna jump and several other students turn to look at him. "I'll _ask_ my mum if I can spend the night with you guys. But that's all I can do, okay?"

Barty grinned. "That's the spirit."

oOo

Luna and Barty sat a little way away from Regulus on the platform once they got out into King's Cross. She turned to look at Barty as they sat, waiting for their friend. His hand was resting closely to Luna's, and their pinky fingers were just touching. She wondered if he could feel the electricity that was coursing through them.

His brown eyes were focused on Regulus, who was shuffling around by the ticket booth, his hands in his pockets as he waited for his parents. She could tell that Barty desperately wanted Regulus to be free of his mum and dad so that they could go and celebrate—clearly, it meant a lot to him.

It meant a lot to Luna, too. Even though Barty's ideas had been mediocre at best, and certainly not what some of the other graduates would be planning for their first night away from Hogwarts, she still had high hopes that they would have a good time. The three of them had developed such a strong bond over the months, that Luna was sure they could be cleaning up litter and still make a good time of it.

Luna knew who Regulus' parents were before he even acknowledged them. They were a pair who couldn't look more out of place if they tried.

Orion Black was almost a replica of Regulus, except, he was slightly wider in the shoulders and his face was lined and his hair threaded with silver. He wore a stiff black pinstripe suit with a grey shirt underneath, which might have looked acceptable if it wasn't for the red cravat that he wore at his neck. He had a long cane in his hand with a skull for the handle, and from the possessive way that he clutched it, Luna guessed that he kept his wand encased within it.

But it was Walburga Black who really sent shivers down Luna's spine. The woman stood at almost five foot eight in her life-threatening heels and her wispy blonde hair that was tied up in an intricately plaited knot at the back of her head. She had a pursed lip that McGongall would be proud of, and she was wearing a tight black dress that was buttoned all the way from the chin to her knees. Her dark stare scanned the platform swiftly, lingering momentarily on Barty.

Luna couldn't hear what they were discussing, but Walburga's body language said enough. Her face went from stony to worse as Regulus spoke, and when he finished, she was practically grimacing at him, her teeth bared violently like a vicious shark. Luna swallowed—how on earth could Regulus stand to be around her? The woman terrified her right through to the bones, and she had only just seen her from afar.

The activity on the platform seemed to slow right down suddenly, as Luna and Barty continued to watch Regulus's exchange with his mother. It was in slow motion that she pulled back her arm, raising it above her head. Barty's fingers clenched around Luna's.

The slap that Walburga landed on Regulus's cheek seemed to echo around the whole building. It was so forceful that it pulled Regulus off his feet and sent him flying through the air, before he came crashing down on the ground, landing face-first.

He had barely touched the floor before Barty had stood up from the bench and started running wildly towards Regulus, pulling Luna along with him. When they reached the family, Luna knelt down beside Regulus, pushing his hair out of his face and observing the crimson, hand-shaped mark on his cheek.

Before now, Luna had only ever seen Regulus looking powerful. He exuded attitude and influence, and he was always the one who was laughing, cracking a joke, lightening the mood. But here on the floor, he looked like a wounded child. This was what his parents had turned him into.

"Who on earth are you?" spat Walburga Black, but Luna didn't quite have the nerve to look at her. It was odd, as Luna was rarely truly afraid of anything—but this woman made her want to quake. And if she had the ability to break down someone as strong as Regulus, then Luna knew that she wasn't stupid to be afraid of her.

She didn't need to reply, however, as Barty stood in front of her and Regulus immediately, obscuring them from Mr and Mrs Black's view. "Never mind who she is," Barty yelled. The passion was in his voice, and Luna wished he would stop. She knew that this woman wasn't someone to speak to with such disdain. "How could you slap your own son in the face like that?"

Luna noticed that Barty had one hand in his pocket, clutching his wand. "Barty," she whispered. "Don't."

"You don't deserve to be parents!" Barty continued, yanking his wand out and pointing it at Walburga. "You don't deserve Regulus as your son."

Orion stepped in front of his wife suddenly, so that the tip of Barty's wand jabbed against his throat. "How dare you speak to my wife like that, boy," he spoke in a dangerously low voice. "How dare you raise your wand to her."

Without waiting to see what would happen next, Luna did the only thing that came natural to her. She clutched Regulus with one hand, and grabbed Barty with the other. Before Orion or Walburga could say anything else, she had sucked them both into side-along apparition.

oOo

They were safe about an hour later, in the top room of a bed-and-breakfast back in Scotland. Neither Regulus or Barty had said anything since Luna had forced them away from the Blacks in London. They had only watched each other from across the room, their eyes boring into each other.

Luna watched the pair of them too, observing each of them. Regulus's dark, almost black eyes were filled with pain and sadness and something else—guilt, perhaps. Barty's, however, were filled with nothing but hate. His gold-flecked, chestnut-brown eyes stared at Regulus, willing him to have the strength not to feel so loyal to his parents.

And Luna remained silent, letting her gaze settle on each pair of brown eyes in turn. She didn't know how she had come to be in the situation she was on, but she knew that she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Sometimes you meet someone and even though you never liked brown eyes before, their eyes are your new favourite colour.


	6. Three's Company, Four's a Crowd

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #6: You have your friends, your teammates, and you also have your opponents. Your opponents will be aiming to hurt you from the get go and we should have this shown by incorporating another member into the relationship that is causing problems. This can be someone having an affair, someone trying to get your pairing to have an affair or both of your pairing cheating on the other. / Extra prompt: a wardrobe

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Secret Diary: (word) Weird, (dialogue) "Call me when you've learned to share.", (word) Threesome, (word) Bizarre, (occupation) Hotel receptionist, (word) Lucky

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/OC Names: Ralph Irwin

 **Word Count:** 1,895

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six  
**_ _ **Three's Company, Four's a Crowd**_

Life had suddenly changed for Barty and Regulus after they left Hogwarts. They were both used to their luxurious, Pureblood upbringings—as stressful as each of their lives were at home, neither could deny that they had ever wanted for anything. Both of them lived comfortably until they went off to Hogwarts, and continued to live so once they started eduction.

So it was inevitable that they would be extremely surprised by their new living standards once they had left school.

As they were essentially running away from Regulus's mother after the incident at King's Cross, they hadn't been able to really settle down anywhere. They scurried from place to place, trying to stay in areas that were heavily Muggle populated—which was difficult enough on it's own as all three of them had been raised in wizarding families and weren't that good at blending in. When they checked in to each dingy, low-rent hotel, they were always given odd looks from the receptionists.

If it wasn't for Barty's great idea talent at transfiguring pebbles and rocks into very convincing Muggle money, they would've been forced into living on the streets. It was lucky that their Muggle Studies class had taught them about the current British currency, and that Barty had been paying attention (whereas Regulus admitted he hadn't).

"You could just go home whenever you wanted, Luna," Barty whispered to Luna during the night on many occasions, when Regulus had fallen to sleep. "Why don't you just leave? Turn your Time-Turner and go back to your own time. You won't have to suffer anymore."

"I'm not _suffering_ ," she replied. "It is partially my fault that you're in this situation." She never admitted it, but she couldn't bear the idea of leaving Barty and Regulus in this situation on their own. She had seen them going tooth and claw at one another whenever the slightest bit of stress arose. Barty became neurotic and out of control, and Regulus was moody and sarcastic. The two of them didn't mix well when they were angry. They _needed_ Luna, though she knew they wouldn't confess it. They needed her to be their healthy medium.

She cared too much about them, now. Even though she knew how big of a mistake she had made getting so involved with two criminals of the past, she couldn't help it now. She just had to see it out. Every night before she went to sleep, Luna would make a promise to herself: as soon as Barty and Regulus were home and safe and back to the lives that they would unfortunately have to lead, she would go back home. But until then, she would just make the most of the time that she had with them.

Even though Barty and Regulus both found the dingy Muggle hotels dire and horrifying, Luna actually found it quite fun. The beds were always a little uncomfortable and the covers were cold, the coffee that the hotel provided was stale and every room they had stayed in so far smelt a little funny. But they played cards with the pack of Exploding Snap that Regulus had in his school luggage, they laughed, joked, and every night, they found themselves curling up in the same bed, regardless of how many beds they had in a room.

It was an island just off the Scottish coast where they found a hotel that wasn't really like any of the other hotels they'd stayed in. Instead of all being in the same building, the reception and breakfast hall was a separate building completely from the rooms. Upon entering, they were given a room at the very back of the building with a double and a single bed, a desk and a wardrobe, and Luna was pleased to discover that it was clean and spacious enough to cease Regulus and Barty's incessant complaining.

They did well to stay there for longer than they usually settled, as Regulus insisted that his mother would rather die than cross the sea to find him, especially not somewhere that didn't have a level terrain. The rocky Scottish island was full of hills and cliffs—perfect for hiding out, not so great for a woman in her forties to be climbing around in five-inch heels.

Everything seemed fine for them to spend a few days—maybe even a week. At least, Luna thought it was fine. It soon became apparent that the male hotel receptionist had a bit of a thing for Regulus.

It started off harmless enough. The skinny, long-haired receptionist was maybe just a couple of years older than Regulus and Barty, and he was always dressed informally in jumpers and jeans. At first he was just providing little extras for the trio—letting them keep their key if they were going on a walk (as it was a small, family owned hotel, the rule was that the keys had to be handed in if any visitors went out), sometimes he gave them an extra handful of mini milk cartons for their coffee. They thought nothing of this guy, and assumed that he was a Muggle. This changed quickly when he brought up Hogwarts, one evening when the three of them had gotten in from a late night walk.

"How do you know about that?" Barty had challenged immediately, and the receptionist had only smirked, keeping his gaze on Regulus.

"My name is Ralph Irwin," the receptionist answered, holding out his hand to shake Regulus's. He offered it to Barty next, but Barty remained stoic-faced, and didn't take it. Ralph shrugged, and Luna tentatively shook his hand as it was presented to her next. "I was a student there four years ago." When he was posed with the unspoken question, he continued speaking. "I overheard you muttering about the school when you walked past the other day."

"I've never hard the name 'Irwin'," challenged Barty.

"My father was a Muggle," Ralph replied, and Barty said no more.

This was only the first of many conversations. Ralph seemed to know when to catch them on the corridors (Regulus especially) and it wasn't long before he was calling up to the room from the reception with the telephone, wanting to engage in pointless conversation with Regulus.

"When are we leaving?" spat Barty one evening, after Regulus had put down the telephone after about an hour of talking. "I am sick to death of that guy."

Luna remained quiet, silently observing the argument that was no doubt about to emerge, and waiting to play her part as the peacemaker. She couldn't help but be on Barty's side in this, however - Ralph had become fast friends with Regulus, and she was beginning to think that the receptionist had a little more than friendship on his mind. She hadn't mention this to either of them yet, however.

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know, Barty. Next week, maybe? I like it here. And having Ralph downstairs gives us a lot of perks."

"Perks like what?" demanded Barty, rearing up to face Regulus.

"Extra milk, for one," Regulus muttered, as he walked over to the dresser which held the kettle and mugs. "Plus we haven't had to go out and get pebbles to transfigure into Muggle money. He's been sorting it out for us."

"Yes, he's been putting his own Muggle money into the hotel, for us, when we've only known him a week," sneered Barty, folding his arms across his chest. "How wonderfully chivalrous of him."

Regulus spun around, glaring at Barty. "I'm starting to think you're _jealous_ of Ralph, Barty. What's your problem? He's just a mate."

Barty's eyes were full of fire—Luna knew that this was time to intervene. She stood up and took Barty's arm, with the intention of leading him out of the room to get a little air. "He does not want to be your _friend,_ Regulus," he said snidely, before allowing himself to be pushed out of the room.

As usual, Barty seemed to calm considerably at a few of Luna's words and a comforting pat of the arm. They walked over to the reception building, intending to take a seat in the breakfast bar if it was still open. Luna immediately regretted her decision—she had hoped that Ralph would have packed up his shift and gone home by now, but there he was, walking towards them on the grass.

"Hey, guys - no Reg tonight?" Ralph was chirpy, and it looked as though he was heading towards the rooms, probably to knock for them. Barty glowered instantly—Luna knew that he hated the way that Ralph shortened his name to 'Reg'.

"Oh, no," Luna spoke, before Barty could bite. "He's upstairs. We're just getting a little air."

"Oh, right. Well, you don't mind if I go up and see him?" Ralph jabbed his finger in the direction of the rooms, grinning.

"Actually, I do mind," Barty snapped suddenly. "What is your deal with him?"

Luna expected Ralph to flush or act embarrassed—but he didn't. Instead he remained passive, merely raising an eyebrow at Barty's hostile comment. "Well, he's single, isn't he?" he nodded between Barty and Luna. "I mean, you two are clearly together."

"I'm with Regulus, actually," Barty confirmed. Luna started to feel a weird, strange feeling growing in her chest—it was a feeling that always appeared when she was faced with the realisation of their odd relationship. Of course they were friends—but she had to admit that things were getting a little bizarre. The three of them spent nearly every night in bed together, ever since that night in the Room of Requirement. They cuddled like they were in a romantic relationship.

She had to admit, that under the safety and darkness of the blankets, she had shared a kiss with each of them.

Both of Ralph's eyebrows soared into his fringe, and his eyes lingered on Luna. "So, you're the single one?"

"No!" Barty said, and Luna was thankful. She hadn't wanted to try and explain the nature of their relationship to him. "Luna is with us, too."

Luna looked up at Barty suddenly, as though she was only just seeing him. His strong facial features were clenched and angry, fed up was he of this bloke who was worming his way into their relationship. She glanced at Ralph, and couldn't even place a single word to his expression - he was a mixture of confused, appalled, and intrigued.

"So you're in some freaky threesome?" Ralph muttered. "That's fucked up, dude."

"No it's not," Barty replied. "And anyway, it's none of your business."

Ralph squared up to Barty, and Luna began to feel slightly wary. She was used to pulling Ralph and Regulus apart, but that was because she knew them both. She knew how to calm each of them down, what to say, how to act. She didn't know Ralph. She didn't know what he was capable of.

"How about you call me when you've learned to share?" Ralph hissed, his voice suddenly venomous. "Because I'm going up to speak to Reg now, and if all goes well, who knows—I might get lucky." He grinned ear to ear, and opened his mouth again to continue speaking.

Luna didn't get to hear what Ralph was going to say next, because Barty punched him in the face, sending him sprawling into the dark, grassy lawn.


	7. Talent of Pain

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #7: Write about an obstacle affecting your pairing. It could be at the start, someone unable to forgive and forget or it could be halfway with someone struggling in the already established relationship. There are so many possible obstacles, and there are so many ways to use them; just know, a negative impact should be caused but your pairing must get over it! / Prompt used: (action) a kiss

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Secret Diary: (plot/action) Having neck and shoulders massaged, (dialogue) "I'm unpredictable like that.", (plot/action) Stripping off completely to go to sleep, (plot/action) Rubbing hair dry with a towel, (word) Lovely, (dialogue) "Hurting people is a very special talent.

 **Word Count:** 2,028

* * *

 _ **Chapter Seven  
**_ _ **Talent of Pain**_

When Barty and Luna arrived back at the hotel room, Barty ignored Regulus completely. Luna shot Regulus an apologetic look as Barty barged straight past him and started gathering belongings together.

"What are you doing?" Regulus demanded to know, narrowing his eyes as he observed his best friend. "Barty? Answer me!" He strode over to Barty, grabbing his wrists to stop his actions. "Why is there blood on your hand?"

Barty snatched his hand back, glaring at Regulus, and wiped his knuckles on his jeans. When he continued to ignore him, Regulus turned to Luna. "What happened?"

Luna released a breath. "Ralph was out there, looking for you."

"For me?"

Luna nodded. "He was being very sarcastic, suggesting that he was going to come up here to...what was the phrase..."

"Get lucky," spat Barty. Regulus shot a glance in his direction, but returned his attention to Luna.

"He was getting to Barty," she continued. "So he punched Ralph in the face. It knocked him out."

"You did _what?"_ Regulus yelled. "Barty—he's our friend! How could you do that?"

"He is not my friend!" yelled Barty. "He is not Luna's friend! And he is not _your_ friend!" Barty took a breath. "Why can't you see it? He likes you! He wants...he wants to be with you, or something!"

Regulus's lips curled back in a snarl. "Well, what would it matter? It's not like anything makes sense anymore!"

"What are you talking about?"

Luna crept past Regulus to sit by the beds, which just so happened to be very close to where Barty was standing.

"This is what I'm talking about," Regulus gestured a hand between Barty and Luna. "What is this? What are we doing? It was just you and me—but then it's suddenly you, me and Luna. And more often...you and Luna." The shadow of a downcast expression flickered across Regulus's face, but was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"Regulus," Luna spoke, blinking rapidly. She had never intended to come between them. In fact, she never knew that Regulus had a problem with her involvement in their relationship—he had always appeared to be happy with their arrangement. "I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't realise..."

"You wouldn't realise," Regulus continued, and it was in that moment that Luna looked across to the vanity table, noticing several opened liquor bottles. Regulus was _drunk._ "You're so wrapped up in Barty all the time, that you don't think about the third wheeler. Same for you," he snapped, nodding at Barty. Barty remained silent, though he looked quite shocked.

"It's not like that," Luna continued. "I like...I _love_ you both," she whispered. Regulus folded his arms.

"One day, you're going to have to choose between both of us," he said quietly. "And if you don't pick, _he_ will have to pick between you and me." Before Luna could reply, Regulus grabbed his jacket from the hook on the back of the door, and stormed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Luna quipped, hurrying after him.

"I'm going to check that Ralph is alright!" Regulus yelled. "Seeing as the pair of you thought it was okay to leave him passed out on the grass. It's freezing cold out there." He paused looking back before closing the door behind him. "Don't expect me to come back here tonight. I want some time to myself."

The door closed sharply, and Luna stood behind it, looking crestfallen. She turned to Barty, and opened her mouth to speak, but he got there first. "Don't bother going after him, Luna," he muttered. "He meant what he said."

"Barty...he was right about everything," she murmured, crossing the hotel room and sitting down on the single bed, putting her head in her hands. "How could I be so selfish? I've let myself be drawn into the pair of you, and I've undoubtedly come between your relationship. I've _ruined_ it."

Barty sat on the bed beside her, and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. She relaxed at his touch momentarily, but immediately stiffened up. "You're not selfish," Barty whispered. "You're lovely. This is Ralph's fault. We were having a great time before we came to this hotel."

"Maybe Ralph was just the excuse Regulus needed to admit his insecurities about us three," she replied in a hushed tone. She looked at Barty, her wide eyes swimming with tears. "I can't stand the thought of hurting him."

"Hurting people is a very special talent," Barty said. "Believe me, it's not one of your talents. Regulus loves you. He's just...I don't know. Things are still confusing."

oOo

Luna came out of the bathroom a few hours later, rubbing her damp hair dry with a towel. Her mother had always told her that a long bath was the best way to soothe a day full of troubles, and surprisingly, Luna did feel a lot better with clean hair and a clean body. She entered the bedroom just as Barty was stripping out of his clothes, and she turned around suddenly, before she could see him completely nude. "Why are you getting naked?" she questioned, facing the wall.

"I'm getting into bed," he replied, and she waited until she was sure he was safely under the covers, before turning around to face him.

"You don't normally get undressed to go to sleep," she commented. Usually he at least kept his underwear on, if not a t-shirt.

Barty shrugged. "I'm unpredictable like that. Come on, don't be such a prude." Luna raised her eyebrows, shrugging it off. Boys were weird, at times.

She switched off the bedside lamp before climbing into the cold sheets beside him. Deep down, she felt a little too aware of his nakedness beneath the sheets, but she managed to shake off her stiff composure and eventually settle down, facing away from Barty. The evening had been difficult for everyone involved, and she was ready to face the next day.

It seemed that Barty didn't really have an interest in sleeping. He nestled closer to Luna, winding an arm around her waist and burying his nose into her damp hair, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes as his lips connected with the sensitive skin on her neck, feeling shivers run down her spine at the sensation. Any thoughts about his nakedness under the covers were suddenly forgotten.

"It's nice having you all to myself," he murmured, his breath hot by her ear. He pulled the lobe into his mouth and proceeded to leave butterfly kisses along the space behind her ear. She sighed in bliss, relaxing into his touch.

Before long, she had turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and threading her fingers through his hair. He kissed her mouth warmly, passionately, and she pressed her body against his, feeling comforted just by his _solidarity_. She might be living in the past, but this was real; _he_ was real.

oOo

When Regulus had ventured outside to search for Ralph, he'd been momentarily confused when no one laid sprawled out on the grass. If Luna was right, then Ralph should still have been passed out—but no one was there. He shrugged, assuming that the receptionist must have just woken up and headed inside, probably to get an ice pack for his bruise.

He slipped into the reception building quietly, noticing that the desk was empty. That was unusual—even when Ralph finished working, there was usually someone who followed his shift. He leaned against the desk for a moment, wondering if Ralph was just in the bathroom—after all, not many people came into the hotel so to check in or out.

He was about to tap the little bell on the desk, when he noticed something unusual. There was a small, neat stack of parchment paper on the desk, which wasn't strange for a reception—except that the top parchment had Regulus's full name printed on it, along with a small, old photograph. Regulus felt a shudder of panic creep up his body as he grabbed the stack of paper, taking a closer look.

The photograph of him could only have come from home. It was a photo that had been taken of him and Sirius, but Sirius had of course been snipped straight out. It couldn't have been taken any more than about three years ago. The parchment held some more details on Regulus's appearance, what he was wearing when he left King's Cross station—

' _What I was wearing at King's Cross,'_ Regulus thought suddenly. He flipped through the papers quickly, noticing a similar profile on Barty, though of course, there was no photo of Luna. Her name wasn't there either, just a hastily scribbled description of her appearance. When he got to the last page, he saw his mother's signature inscribed neatly at the bottom.

Regulus carefully placed the papers back down where he found them, shock radiating through his body. _'My mother hired Ralph to track me down,'_ he thought avidly, as the pieces suddenly came together. That was why Ralph was so intent on befriending them. That was why he tried so hard to come between the three of them. He was under Walburga's orders.

Regulus tried to remember when he first saw Ralph, desperately hoping that he was wrong. He hadn't been the one who had first greeted them when they first came to this hotel. Ralph had shown up maybe one or two days later, and they hadn't even thought about it. Receptionists came and went at all the hotels they stayed at.

But it made sense now. Ralph had obviously found them and probably used magic on the owners to give him a job there—or worse. Regulus shuddered, wondering if Ralph could be the kind of person who might have used dark magic on the owners of the hotel.

There was a door behind the desk, and even though Regulus wanted to do nothing more than charge back to the room and get Barty and Luna out, something drew him to the door. He sneaked behind the desk, and grasped the door handle, pushing it open slowly.

What he saw confirmed everything he had suspected about Ralph. A middle aged Muggle woman, probably in her early sixties, was sitting with her back against the tiny room, which was a cupboard of some sort. From the deathly still manner in which she sat, with her head flopped to the side and her brown eyes wide open, Regulus knew immediately that she was dead.

' _We have to get out of here.'_

He shut the door quietly and jumped over the desk, just as he heard rustling coming from the breakfast room. Ralph was coming. Without waiting to make sure, he charged out of the reception and over to the hotel block, rushing up the stairs and banging on the door of their room.

Barty answered after a minute of knocking, dressed in nothing but his underwear. His cheeks were flushed and his lips were swollen, but Regulus didn't care. He pushed past Barty, slamming the door shut behind him, gasping for breath.

Luna rushed forward, looking equally dishevelled. "Regulus?" she gasped. "Are you okay?"

"We have to go," he panted, glancing between Barty and Luna. "I'll explain later—you were right about Ralph," he added, looking at Barty. "I'm sorry. He's—he's a jerk. He's got... _files_ on me and you. He's killed the lady who owns the hotel!"

Luna clapped a hand over her mouth, but sprang into action immediately, throwing their belongings into their bags and bringing a t-shirt and jeans to Barty.

As he dressed, Regulus continued to watch him. "I'm really sorry, Barty," he apologised, cupping his cheek as Barty finished dressing. "I didn't mean to go off on one earlier." He looked over at Luna. "I really didn't mean it."

"It's okay," Luna replied breezily as she hurried towards Barty and Regulus with their bags. "Lets just get out of here."

Regulus leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Barty's lips, before turning and pressing one to Luna's as well. "I'm sorry," he said, for the third time. "Lets get out of here."


	8. The Brightest Star in the Sky

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #8: You're trying something new and your pairing should as well! This could be anything from a new food to a new sport but one of your pairing should be showing some nerves and discomfort but in the end, would try it. Whether they enjoyed it or not, is up to you. / Prompt used: (dialogue) "They haven't seen the best of us yet."

\- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Poems Porn: "I'm not the type of person to give up on someone. Yes, sometimes I get really mad and upset so I need a minute to cool off, but I'll never abandon you. I don't leave people. And I Think that's why it always hurts so bad when people leave me."

 **Word Count:** 1,609

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8  
**_ _ **The Brightest Star in the Sky**_

"Are you ready?" Regulus asked, looking back at Barty and Luna. They both still looked tired and a little embarrassed about being essentially caught making out, but Regulus didn't care about that anymore. There were more important things to worry about, like getting the hell out of Scotland before Ralph Irwin could alert Walburga and Orion.

Barty nodded, hitching his bag up onto his shoulder, and Regulus pushed the door open, peering out into the corridor first. When the coast was clear, he nodded back at Barty and Luna, and the three of them proceeded to tip-toe out onto the landing as quietly as they could.

Luna had insisted that they needed to take the body of the Muggle with them, so that they could alert the authorities. Barty highly disagreed with this, convinced that the Ministry would find a way to blame the trio on the murder, but Regulus agreed with Luna. If a dead body was left in their trail, there would be much more evidence to tie the murder to them, rather than Ralph. Running away from something this big would only make things more difficult.

So they headed out of the building, beginning the steady walk across the grass towards the reception. They could see through the glass window that the desk was still empty with no one stationed, and Ralph was nowhere in sight. _'Maybe he's returned to Walburga to tell her the news,'_ Luna pondered to herself, hoping it to be true.

Barty entered the reception building first, his wand arm outstretched, ready to curse anyone who lunged at them. Nothing happened; there were no sounds of breathing or voices or footsteps. Regulus jabbed a thumb towards the door behind the reception, where he had just earlier discovered the body of the old woman. Barty nodded gravely, and jumped over the reception desk easily, before pushing the door ajar.

Luna held her breath in her throat as the door opened. Even though Regulus had told her what was behind the door, and she had seen more than enough death now, there still were no words to explain the tension in the room at that moment. No matter how much death she'd already seen in her life, she didn't want to see anymore.

Barty pushed the door open further, and three of them looked down onto the floor - to nothing. There was nothing—and no-one—there. Barty looked back at Regulus questioningly, and Luna walked around the desk to get a better look, leaving Regulus by the door.

"There's no-one here," Luna confirmed, once she had stuck her head inside the stock room and got a good look around, making sure that the body hadn't been stuffed behind the door. "She's gone."

"I swear she was there!" Regulus shouted, beads of sweat suddenly appearing on his forehead. "She was _right the_ —" he was cut off as the glass window behind him suddenly shattered, sending shards of glass spraying into the reception. Barty and Luna covered their faces quickly, and once they looked back up at Regulus, they had been joined by someone else.

Ralph was standing behind Regulus, an arm around his shoulders and the other pointing his wand directly into Regulus's throat. "Come a step closer and I'll kill him," Ralph warned, as Barty started to advance. "I won't hesitate."

Barty's brown eyes flashed amber, and Luna swallowed, trying to rationalise her thoughts, in order to think of a way out of this. "You wouldn't," sneered Barty. "It isn't worth Walburga's wrath if you do."

A dark chuckle escaped Ralph's lips, and Regulus focused his eyes on Barty. "Barty," he said quietly, meeting his gaze. Ralph dug his wand harder into Regulus's neck as he spoke. "Just let him take me. It's not worth him hurting you or Luna."

" _Regulus,"_ Luna breathed, her eyes wide.

"Listen to him, Princess," Ralph interrupted, his smirk landing on her. Luna couldn't believe that they had allowed Ralph to pull the wool over their eyes. How had they failed to notice him for what he was? "Back off, and no one gets hurt."

Barty clenched his fists, looking unsure of what to do. Luna knew that he was troubled—a private battle was going on in his mind, whether he should remain back to prevent Luna from getting hurt, or lunge forward and bat Ralph's wand out of the way and get Regulus to safety.

Ralph seemed to notice the cogs whirring in Barty's brain. "You should know, Mrs. Black has given me full permission to injure or seriously maim Regulus in order to return him to her," he said, his voice full of malice. "The only drawback is that I do not kill him. So I won't fail to cause him grievous bodily harm, should you try anything."

Barty looked back at Luna, and then to Regulus. "I don't know what to do," he whispered.

"It's okay," Regulus soothed. "You know where I'll be."

Barty nodded. "I'll find you," he told him. "I promise I'll come and get you."

"I know you will." Before Barty could reply to Regulus, Ralph had apparated on the spot, sucking Regulus into thin air with him. Barty collapsed to his knees on the floor, his face in his hands, and sobbed right where Regulus had just stood.

oOo

Less than an hour later, Barty and Luna were standing in the bushes of a familiar Muggle street—Grimmauld Place. Barty was staring determinedly at numbers eleven and thirteen, knowing that there was a hidden house between them. Luna was looking at the houses too, but not at the one where Regulus was no doubt captive. Instead, her gaze was focused on one further down the street: Number Fourteen.

That house was empty. She knew so because there was a sign outside, proclaiming it to be for sale.

"I'm going in," Barty announced suddenly. "They haven't seen the best of us yet. Wait here."

"Barty, _no_ ," Luna hissed, grabbing him by the arm. He turned his eyes on her suddenly; and they suddenly looked more like cold brown earth than the warm brown that she had come to know and love. "It's not worth the risk. We need to wait until we know he's definitely in there."

"Of course he's in there," snapped Barty. "Where else would they take him."

"Walburga and Orion..." Luna started, taking a deep breath. "They're...they're dark wizards, Barty. They probably have access to so much dark magic—we could get killed if we go bursting in there unannounced. They could be expecting us, _waiting_ for us. If we get killed or something, it's not going to help Regulus get out of there."

Barty clenched and relaxed his fists a few times, as though he was contemplating the idea. Finally, he closed his eyes and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just...I'm not the type of person to give up on someone. Yes, sometimes I get really mad and upset so I need a minute to cool off, but I'll never abandon you. I don't leave people," he took a breath. "And I think that's why it always hurts so bad when people leave me."

Luna rested a hand on his shoulder gently. "Don't be sorry. You have every right to be irrational. Please try and trust me."

"I will," Barty paused. "Do you have an idea of what to do?"

Luna nodded, and gestured towards Number Fourteen. "We're going to hide out in there."

Thirty minutes later, and they were settled in their new temporary accommodation. Barty had cast several charms on the building to ensure that it wouldn't be stumbled upon by the passing Muggles. He hadn't been able to pull off the in-depth spell that had been cast on Number Twelve, but he managed to make it so that if a Muggle was to look in the direction of Number Fourteen, they wouldn't _quite_ be able to focus their gaze on it. It would be like the building wasn't meant to be there.

They both knew that Walburga and Orion were far too proud to ever consider that a witch and a wizard would risk hiding out in a Muggle house right beside them, so it was the perfect guise. The house wasn't exactly comfortable; there was no furniture other than a musty old couch. But they made do with what they had by spreading out the couch cushions on the floor by the window and curling up on them.

Barty insisted that they take it in turn to watch out of the window, just in case Orion and Walburga both visibly left the house, so that they could make a move. Luna knew it wasn't worth it—she knew how Grimmauld Place worked, and if Walburga and Orion treat their house the same way as it was treat when it was in the Order's hands, they would probably apparate from their doorsteps to prevent any of their Muggle neighbours spotting them. This also meant that Barty and Luna wouldn't be able to see if Walburga and Orion _did_ leave the house.

However, the thought seemed to make Barty content, so she didn't argue when he offered to take first watch. As she curled up on her cushion, the last thing she saw before drifting off to sleep was Barty's silhouette against the window. The stars behind him were blinking against the blanket of the night sky.

She might have just been imagining it, but she was sure that from here, she could see the brightest star in the Leo constellation, glimmering rapidly. If only it was that easy to find him.

 **Author's Note:** For the 'new' theme, I went with the triad being demoted to a pairing, as Regulus was kidnapped. For me, this was 'new' for all three of them to deal with.


	9. The Heist: Part One

**Written For:**

\- Flying Lessons #9: Your couple have handled a lot of things but illnesses will creep up at a time when none of you expect it. Unless, of course, they go out swimming in the middle of winter and don't use a warming charm, then it's expected. For this task, use one of the following illnesses in your story: Mental Illness

 **Word Count:** 1,005

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9  
**_ _ **The Heist: Part One**_

"Tell me what happened to you."

Barty's voice made Luna jump. She was sitting by the window, staring out at the early morning sunset. It had been her turn to watch the street for any signs of Walburga and Orion, and she hadn't expected Barty to be awake yet. She turned around to face him, smiling at the sight of his sleepy brown eyes and dishevelled, bedridden hair.

"What do you mean?" she asked, coming over to sit on the cushion beside him.

"You said, back at Hogwarts," he started. "You _understood_ me. You understood what happened to me...with the babysitter."

Luna looked down at her fingernails. "I _do_ understand."

"That wasn't all there was to it, you know," he replied. "I didn't tell you everything. I had to go through a lot of humiliation afterwards, too."

"You don't have to tell me, Barty," Luna told him quietly. "Not if it causes you pain."

"No, it's important," Barty said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "After my mother and father found out about what she was doing to me, she was thrown into Azkaban, naturally. But it didn't end all the problems. I started having night terrors and flashbacks, and my father was worried it was going to start affecting my studies."

Luna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that comment. How could Mr. Crouch have cared more about Barty's educational success than his health?

"So, they took me to St. Mungo's. But this was like, nearly ten years ago. They didn't have Healers who were equipped to deal with invisible problems. It was one of Mother's friends who suggested we see her friend, who was a Muggle-born witch. She worked as some kind of Mind-Healer for Muggles, I don't know what they call them."

Luna nodded solemnly, intrigued to know where Barty was taking this.

"They told me I had..." he seemed in thought for a minute, before continuing. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Characterised by the flashbacks and stuff. They made me start taking all this strong medication, but Father wanted to have me locked up in a hospital for a while until I was well enough to start studying at home again. But Mother wouldn't let him."

"I'm sorry, Barty," Luna said. "I can't believe your father would even _suggest_ that."

"But that was a long time ago. I don't take the meds anymore, and I do okay." He paused, flashing Luna a brief smile. "I just wanted you to know everything."

Luna reached out and took his hand. "I know you want to know everything about me, Barty..." she started. "But there are things from the future that I just can't tell you, at least not yet. And some things are just...well, they're a little bit hard for me to talk about."

Barty squeezed her hand gently. "You can tell me anything. Whenever you want to."

Luna nodded, and focused her gaze on their entwined hands. "I had an uncle when I was small. Well, he wasn't really an uncle. He was a close friend of my dads," Luna paused, pressing her lips together. "He would look after me while Father was downstairs working on _the Quibbler_ and Mother was upstairs doing her experiments."

Barty clenched his fists. She didn't have to say anything else. "What happened to him?" he growled.

Luna shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't tell my parents, but eventually he drifted apart from my family. After Mother died, Daddy didn't really talk to anyone anymore."

As Luna finished speaking, Barty pulled her onto her back so she was lying beside him, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "If I ever meet him, I'll kill him."

Luna chuckled. "I doubt that would happen." She nestled her face into his arm. "I suppose we should just be thankful that neither of us were locked up, otherwise we'd never have met."

"I suppose." Barty replied. "Locked up..." he repeated suddenly. He sat up, letting Luna fall back onto the cushion. "Locked up."

"What's the problem?" Luna asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

" _Locked up,"_ Barty said again. "That's it!"

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Barty, I don't understand."

"I've got a plan," Barty continued. "To get into Number Twelve."

oOo

Luna wanted to say that Barty's plan was simple, but in reality, it was much, much more than that.

Really, it shouldn't have surprised her when he suggested brewing a Polyjuice Potion, because he had been reknowned for that when he impersonated Mad-Eye Moody at Hogwarts. He wanted to mix a Polyjuice Potion, snag some of Walburga and Orion's hairs, and then move on with Phase Two of the paln.

Phase Two was to enter Gringotts udner the guise of Walburga and Orion, and attempt to gain access to their family vault. Of course, the goblins there would require proof of identity to give them access, and when Luna and Barty failed to provide the correct wands, the alarm would be raised. Walburga and Orion would be alerted that someone had attempted to gain access to their vault, and they would be required to make an impromptu trip to Gringotts.

Because the vault belonged to the pair of them, they would both have to go to the bank. This meant that Number Twelve would be empty, giving Luna and Barty a window to rescue Regulus.

It wasn't a simple plan at all, but they didn't have much other option. Barty insisted that Walburga almost _never_ left the sanctuary of the house, and they would never know if she did. Without a plan, they were going to be stuck in the unoccupied house, staring at the space between Number Eleven and Number Thirteen, praying for an opening.

Luna had a lot of questions, such as how on earth they were going to get some of Walburga and Orion's hair—but she agreed to the plan. They had a month to brew the potion, and they needed something to be optimistic about.


End file.
